There are a few errors in the passage which are given in bold letters. Edit the
following passage
.
As a medium the cinema goes far beyond mere entertainment to becoming (a)
a record of time and space, on (b) everything that moved (c) or stands still
before the camera. Its history is also the history of our culture: of us (d) speech
and body language; of our dress-code; of our way (e) of living and make (f).
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Editing 1
The errors in the passage below are given in bold letters. Edit it.
Mr Moorthi said that he was very sorry that he cannot (a) attend the sales
conference on Monday. He was leaving for Shimla that evening and would be
not back (b) till Wednesday. He wished Mr. Salim attending (c) the conference
instead. Mr. Moorthi will (d) be happy if he was informed about it by that
evening, so that Mr. Salim could make him (e) travel arrangements. He
apologised for the inconvenience causes (f).
Mr Moorthi said that he was very sorry that he cannot (a) attend the sales
conference on Monday. He was leaving for Shimla that evening and would be
not back (b) till Wednesday. He wished Mr. Salim attending (c) the conference
instead. Mr. Moorthi will (d) be happy if he was informed about it by that
evening, so that Mr. Salim could make him (e) travel arrangements. He
apologised for the inconvenience causes (f).
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 8
Memories of the past have something to do with tragedies: pain, insult,
loss, grief...
When I was a child, I was a good marksman. I was adept at aiming at any
mango or cashew fruit and bringing it down with stones. Once, while I
was going to school, I saw an owl on a tree. I don't know what came over
me. I aimed and threw a stone at it. And it dropped to the ground dead.
This painful memory has stayed with me since then and still haunts me.
There are many things in life that you can't repair later. Our house was in
the middle of a large garden with a variety of trees-mango, cashew,
coconut, arecanut, jackfruit, tamarind. There was hardly any tree I had
not climbed. Once on top of the tree I would forget about the laws of
gravitation. And naturally it was normal routine for me to fall off them.
As it became a regular affair, my mother kept a dish of herbal oil handy
so that she could take it with her every time she rushed to the spot where
I hit the ground with a big thud.
1. Why does the narrator call himself a good marksman?
2. What is the haunting memory that still pains the narrator?
3. What happened when the narrator forgot the laws of gravitation?
4. What made the narrator's mother keep a dish of herbal oil?
5. ‘Memories of the past have something to do with tragedies.’ How does the
narrator prove this?
loss, grief...
When I was a child, I was a good marksman. I was adept at aiming at any
mango or cashew fruit and bringing it down with stones. Once, while I
was going to school, I saw an owl on a tree. I don't know what came over
me. I aimed and threw a stone at it. And it dropped to the ground dead.
This painful memory has stayed with me since then and still haunts me.
There are many things in life that you can't repair later. Our house was in
the middle of a large garden with a variety of trees-mango, cashew,
coconut, arecanut, jackfruit, tamarind. There was hardly any tree I had
not climbed. Once on top of the tree I would forget about the laws of
gravitation. And naturally it was normal routine for me to fall off them.
As it became a regular affair, my mother kept a dish of herbal oil handy
so that she could take it with her every time she rushed to the spot where
I hit the ground with a big thud.
1. Why does the narrator call himself a good marksman?
2. What is the haunting memory that still pains the narrator?
3. What happened when the narrator forgot the laws of gravitation?
4. What made the narrator's mother keep a dish of herbal oil?
5. ‘Memories of the past have something to do with tragedies.’ How does the
narrator prove this?
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 7
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. 'Just a minute', answered a
frail, elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman
in her eighties stood before me. She was wearing a faded silk sari and a
frill blouse, with a colourful shawl wrapped around her neck, like
somebody straight out of a 1970's family movie. By her side was a small
plastic suitcase. The house looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab. She took my arm and we walked slowly
toward the cab. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would
want my mother treated.'
'Oh, you're such a good guy,' she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could
you drive me through the city? It's not the shortest way.'
'Oh, I don't mind,' I said.
'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to an old age home,' she said.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
'My kids are far away, I don't have anyone here to take care of me,' she
continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like
me to take?' I asked.
For the next few hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as a bank clerk. We drove through
the neighbourhood where she had lived before she got wed. She showed
me the park, where she walked hand in hand with the man she loved.
She had me pull up in front of a mall that had once been a wedding hall
where her kids had been married off. At the first hint of the sun dipping
below the horizon, she said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low block of
buildings. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I held her hands and gave them a squeeze. She
held onto mine tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of
unforgettable joy,' she said.
'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked away into the fading
light. Behind me, a door shut.
1. Why does the narrator feel that the woman was 'somebody straight out of a
1970's family movie'?
2. What made the driver shut off the meter?
3. Pick out any two sentences/ expressions from the story that indicate the
loneliness of the woman.
4. What was the unforgettable joy that the narrator gave to the woman?
5. Give a suitable title to the story.
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. 'Just a minute', answered a
frail, elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman
in her eighties stood before me. She was wearing a faded silk sari and a
frill blouse, with a colourful shawl wrapped around her neck, like
somebody straight out of a 1970's family movie. By her side was a small
plastic suitcase. The house looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab. She took my arm and we walked slowly
toward the cab. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would
want my mother treated.'
'Oh, you're such a good guy,' she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could
you drive me through the city? It's not the shortest way.'
'Oh, I don't mind,' I said.
'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to an old age home,' she said.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
'My kids are far away, I don't have anyone here to take care of me,' she
continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like
me to take?' I asked.
For the next few hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as a bank clerk. We drove through
the neighbourhood where she had lived before she got wed. She showed
me the park, where she walked hand in hand with the man she loved.
She had me pull up in front of a mall that had once been a wedding hall
where her kids had been married off. At the first hint of the sun dipping
below the horizon, she said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low block of
buildings. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I held her hands and gave them a squeeze. She
held onto mine tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of
unforgettable joy,' she said.
'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked away into the fading
light. Behind me, a door shut.
1. Why does the narrator feel that the woman was 'somebody straight out of a
1970's family movie'?
2. What made the driver shut off the meter?
3. Pick out any two sentences/ expressions from the story that indicate the
loneliness of the woman.
4. What was the unforgettable joy that the narrator gave to the woman?
5. Give a suitable title to the story.
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 6
The clock is a very old invention. Sundials were used in ancient times.
Sundials work by measuring shadows that are cast by the sun. Candle
clocks were used a very long time ago. Candle clocks work by measuring
the time it takes for the wax to melt. Hourglasses are similar to candle
clocks because they also measure the time it takes for something to happen.
Hourglasses work by measuring the time it takes for sand to pour through
a small opening into a glass. Mechanical clocks appeared in the 13th
century in Europe. They work with a system of moving gears. The gears
always move at the same speed. Pendulum clocks work with a swinging
weight. The swinging weight is called pendulum. The pendulum makes
the clock parts move. Now people typically use mechanical clocks or
digital clocks. Digital clocks show numbers on a screen. The numbers
represent the time. Some people use auditory clocks. Auditory clocks use
language to tell the time aloud. Computers also use clocks. Computers
use internal clocks in order to work properly. In today's world, clocks are
everywhere - in homes, schools, offices, and public places. Many people
live their lives according to the clock. People go to work and return home
according to the clock. School days start and end according to the clock.
Airplanes take off and land according to the clock. It is fun to imagine a
world without clocks!
1. What were the different types of clocks used in ancient times?
2. How is time measured using a candle clock?
3. What is the advantage of a mechanical clock?
4. What kind of a clock would you suggest for a blind person?
5. Why does the author say that it is fun to imagine a world without clocks?
Sundials work by measuring shadows that are cast by the sun. Candle
clocks were used a very long time ago. Candle clocks work by measuring
the time it takes for the wax to melt. Hourglasses are similar to candle
clocks because they also measure the time it takes for something to happen.
Hourglasses work by measuring the time it takes for sand to pour through
a small opening into a glass. Mechanical clocks appeared in the 13th
century in Europe. They work with a system of moving gears. The gears
always move at the same speed. Pendulum clocks work with a swinging
weight. The swinging weight is called pendulum. The pendulum makes
the clock parts move. Now people typically use mechanical clocks or
digital clocks. Digital clocks show numbers on a screen. The numbers
represent the time. Some people use auditory clocks. Auditory clocks use
language to tell the time aloud. Computers also use clocks. Computers
use internal clocks in order to work properly. In today's world, clocks are
everywhere - in homes, schools, offices, and public places. Many people
live their lives according to the clock. People go to work and return home
according to the clock. School days start and end according to the clock.
Airplanes take off and land according to the clock. It is fun to imagine a
world without clocks!
1. What were the different types of clocks used in ancient times?
2. How is time measured using a candle clock?
3. What is the advantage of a mechanical clock?
4. What kind of a clock would you suggest for a blind person?
5. Why does the author say that it is fun to imagine a world without clocks?
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 5
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
One evening as the Guru was meditating a thief with a sharp sword entered,
demanding either his money or his life, the Guru told him: 'Do not disturb
me. You can find the money in that drawer.' Then he resumed his meditation.
A little while afterwards he stopped and called: 'Don't take it all. I need
some to pay taxes tomorrow.' The intruder gathered up most of the money
and started to leave. 'Thank a person when you receive a gift,' the Guru
added. The man thanked him and went off. A few days afterwards the fellow
was caught and confessed, among others, the offence against the Guru. When
the Guru was called as a witness he said: 'This man is no thief, at least as far
as I am concerned. I gave him the money and he thanked me for it.' After he
had finished his prison term, the men went to the Guru and became his
disciple.
1. What did the thief want from the Guru?
2. How did the Guru react against the threat from the thief?
3. Why did the Guru ask the thief not to take all the money?
4. Give a suitable title to the story.
5. What, in your opinion, made the thief become the disciple of the Guru?
One evening as the Guru was meditating a thief with a sharp sword entered,
demanding either his money or his life, the Guru told him: 'Do not disturb
me. You can find the money in that drawer.' Then he resumed his meditation.
A little while afterwards he stopped and called: 'Don't take it all. I need
some to pay taxes tomorrow.' The intruder gathered up most of the money
and started to leave. 'Thank a person when you receive a gift,' the Guru
added. The man thanked him and went off. A few days afterwards the fellow
was caught and confessed, among others, the offence against the Guru. When
the Guru was called as a witness he said: 'This man is no thief, at least as far
as I am concerned. I gave him the money and he thanked me for it.' After he
had finished his prison term, the men went to the Guru and became his
disciple.
1. What did the thief want from the Guru?
2. How did the Guru react against the threat from the thief?
3. Why did the Guru ask the thief not to take all the money?
4. Give a suitable title to the story.
5. What, in your opinion, made the thief become the disciple of the Guru?
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 4
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
TIME WITH GRANDPA
Ben jumped from bed as soon as the first bit of sun peeped through his
window. He grabbed his bag from his shelf and opened it on the floor.
Ben put in some of his favourite things to take with him on his trip to visit
Grandpa. He put in a book on building forts, a book on making go-carts
and a new book he had taken from the library about a kid detective who
creates his own spy gear. He also put in a model car kit and his stuffed
bear. He was ready to go! Going to visit his grandfather for a week was
always Ben's favourite part of summer vacation. Grandpa would take
him fishing and to baseball games. Grandpa also taught Ben how to fix
things around the house. Last year, when he was eight-years-old, Ben
had learned how to replace a broken doorknob and how to fix a leaky tap.
Grandpa was patient and did not mind taking many hours to show Ben
how to use his tools. Ben's mom came to his bedroom door. 'Grandpa's
here,' she said with a smile. Ben grabbed his backpack and ran into the
kitchen where Grandpa was waiting. 'Ready, big guy?' asked Grandpa.
'Or do you want to eat breakfast before we leave?' 'Ready,' said Ben. As
he kissed his mother good-bye, he felt his stomach rumble. 'We can eat
later!'
1. What is the most likely reason for Ben to jump out of bed?
2. Judging by the things Ben put in his bag, what will one think Ben is going to
do most during the vacation?
3. Why does visiting Grandpa become a favourite part of Ben's vacation?
4. What two things did Ben learn from his Grandpa last year?
5. What impressions do you form about Ben’s Grandpa?
TIME WITH GRANDPA
Ben jumped from bed as soon as the first bit of sun peeped through his
window. He grabbed his bag from his shelf and opened it on the floor.
Ben put in some of his favourite things to take with him on his trip to visit
Grandpa. He put in a book on building forts, a book on making go-carts
and a new book he had taken from the library about a kid detective who
creates his own spy gear. He also put in a model car kit and his stuffed
bear. He was ready to go! Going to visit his grandfather for a week was
always Ben's favourite part of summer vacation. Grandpa would take
him fishing and to baseball games. Grandpa also taught Ben how to fix
things around the house. Last year, when he was eight-years-old, Ben
had learned how to replace a broken doorknob and how to fix a leaky tap.
Grandpa was patient and did not mind taking many hours to show Ben
how to use his tools. Ben's mom came to his bedroom door. 'Grandpa's
here,' she said with a smile. Ben grabbed his backpack and ran into the
kitchen where Grandpa was waiting. 'Ready, big guy?' asked Grandpa.
'Or do you want to eat breakfast before we leave?' 'Ready,' said Ben. As
he kissed his mother good-bye, he felt his stomach rumble. 'We can eat
later!'
1. What is the most likely reason for Ben to jump out of bed?
2. Judging by the things Ben put in his bag, what will one think Ben is going to
do most during the vacation?
3. Why does visiting Grandpa become a favourite part of Ben's vacation?
4. What two things did Ben learn from his Grandpa last year?
5. What impressions do you form about Ben’s Grandpa?
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 3
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Trees are Nature's wonders and a great gift to mankind as well as to all those
who depend on them. While some dependants stay on the trees, others come
to them to rest or to feed. Still others use them to raise their offsprings. Humans
have used almost any and every tree to their benefit.
It is very sad that the same humans are destroying trees all over the world in
the name of ‘development’. This can be to create factories, new townships,
wider roads, railways, entertainment centres and so on. They do not realise
that they are making a big mistake. More trees would mean better rains, cooler
climates, and decreased use of air-conditioners and refrigerators. This would
lead to the reversal of global warming. What a wonderful thing to happen!
1. Why are trees considered as 'Nature's wonders'?
2. How does ‘development’ affect trees?
3. What do ‘more trees’ bring to us?
4. What a wonderful thing to happen!' What is the wonderful thing referred
to here?
5. Pick out the sentence that suggest ‘the selfish attitude of human beings’
from the passage.
Trees are Nature's wonders and a great gift to mankind as well as to all those
who depend on them. While some dependants stay on the trees, others come
to them to rest or to feed. Still others use them to raise their offsprings. Humans
have used almost any and every tree to their benefit.
It is very sad that the same humans are destroying trees all over the world in
the name of ‘development’. This can be to create factories, new townships,
wider roads, railways, entertainment centres and so on. They do not realise
that they are making a big mistake. More trees would mean better rains, cooler
climates, and decreased use of air-conditioners and refrigerators. This would
lead to the reversal of global warming. What a wonderful thing to happen!
1. Why are trees considered as 'Nature's wonders'?
2. How does ‘development’ affect trees?
3. What do ‘more trees’ bring to us?
4. What a wonderful thing to happen!' What is the wonderful thing referred
to here?
5. Pick out the sentence that suggest ‘the selfish attitude of human beings’
from the passage.
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 2
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The world appears to be gloomy in the absence of a true friend. Man, by nature,
is a social animal. A man, who lives alone, is either an angel or a beast. Therefore,
the need for a true and honest friend is always important for man. True friends,
no doubt, are rare in this world. A friend is the elixir of life and panacea for
many ills. A friend is very useful at the time of adversity. But there are many
persons in this world who are fair weather friends. When one's purse jingles
with money, they flock around him; otherwise, run away. I would always like
to have friends who possess qualities of both the head and heart. Do you have
any one such friend?
1. What do you mean by the phrase 'fair weather' friends?
2. 'A friend is the elixir of life and panacea for many ills.' What does this
statement mean?
3. Why does the author state that friends should possess the qualities of both
the head and the heart?
4. 'Friends are people who stand by you in times of need.' Quote relevant
sentence from the passage which means the same.
5. What, according to the author, is so rare in this world?
The world appears to be gloomy in the absence of a true friend. Man, by nature,
is a social animal. A man, who lives alone, is either an angel or a beast. Therefore,
the need for a true and honest friend is always important for man. True friends,
no doubt, are rare in this world. A friend is the elixir of life and panacea for
many ills. A friend is very useful at the time of adversity. But there are many
persons in this world who are fair weather friends. When one's purse jingles
with money, they flock around him; otherwise, run away. I would always like
to have friends who possess qualities of both the head and heart. Do you have
any one such friend?
1. What do you mean by the phrase 'fair weather' friends?
2. 'A friend is the elixir of life and panacea for many ills.' What does this
statement mean?
3. Why does the author state that friends should possess the qualities of both
the head and the heart?
4. 'Friends are people who stand by you in times of need.' Quote relevant
sentence from the passage which means the same.
5. What, according to the author, is so rare in this world?
Analysing Unfamiliar Passages 1
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
To sing a song has been deeply related to human life from ancient
times. The first form of song might be a lullaby sung by a mother to
put her child to sleep. Children have a special liking for songs.
Grownups enjoy singing songs to babies and they enjoy listening to
them.
In recent years, there has been a boom in ‘karaoke’. Karaoke includes
CD players with voice mixing facilities and are used to provide musical
accompaniment for solos. The Japanese word ‘kara’ of kara-oke means
empty, while the "oke" is a Japanese abbreviation of the English word,
‘orchestra.’ These two words coming together mean an orchestra
without a vocalist. Karaoke systems are widespread in many countries
nowadays. To relish karaoke is not difficult at all. All you have to do is
buy a karaoke CD and practice singing songs. Believe me! You will be
a singer one day!
1. Who, according to the author, is considered as the first singer of the world?
2. How does the author establish the idea that songs are deeply related to
human life?
3. How does technology influence the singing habit of the humans?
4. What does the word 'karaoke' mean?
5. Do you agree with the author's opinion that everyone can be a singer one
day? Justify your answer.
To sing a song has been deeply related to human life from ancient
times. The first form of song might be a lullaby sung by a mother to
put her child to sleep. Children have a special liking for songs.
Grownups enjoy singing songs to babies and they enjoy listening to
them.
In recent years, there has been a boom in ‘karaoke’. Karaoke includes
CD players with voice mixing facilities and are used to provide musical
accompaniment for solos. The Japanese word ‘kara’ of kara-oke means
empty, while the "oke" is a Japanese abbreviation of the English word,
‘orchestra.’ These two words coming together mean an orchestra
without a vocalist. Karaoke systems are widespread in many countries
nowadays. To relish karaoke is not difficult at all. All you have to do is
buy a karaoke CD and practice singing songs. Believe me! You will be
a singer one day!
1. Who, according to the author, is considered as the first singer of the world?
2. How does the author establish the idea that songs are deeply related to
human life?
3. How does technology influence the singing habit of the humans?
4. What does the word 'karaoke' mean?
5. Do you agree with the author's opinion that everyone can be a singer one
day? Justify your answer.
Using Language Elements 10
Complete the conversation between the Principal and Swaminathan's father
suitably.
Father
:
Good morning, sir. I'm Swaminathan's father.
Principal
:
Good morning, what ______________a________________?
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
I want to know whether ___________b______________
Letter? What letter?
I had written a letter of complaint about Mr. Samuel.
What for? He is a very good teacher.
___________________c______________?
He's been working here for the last 15 years.
No complaints about him so far?
No, why?
What about Swaminathan's behaviour in school?
He is a bit naughty. _____________d________________?
I'm very strict and he won't play his pranks at home.
I don't think a father should be so. The stricter you become
_________________e_________________.
Thank you sir. I'll try to change my ways with him.
suitably.
Father
:
Good morning, sir. I'm Swaminathan's father.
Principal
:
Good morning, what ______________a________________?
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
Father
Principal
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
I want to know whether ___________b______________
Letter? What letter?
I had written a letter of complaint about Mr. Samuel.
What for? He is a very good teacher.
___________________c______________?
He's been working here for the last 15 years.
No complaints about him so far?
No, why?
What about Swaminathan's behaviour in school?
He is a bit naughty. _____________d________________?
I'm very strict and he won't play his pranks at home.
I don't think a father should be so. The stricter you become
_________________e_________________.
Thank you sir. I'll try to change my ways with him.
Using Language Elements 8
Complete the following conversation suitably.
The Fox
:
Where's your son?
Mother
:
He disobeyed me and went out to the woods.
Hmm. You know what it means to break the laws, ____a___?
The Fox
:
Mother
:
He is a kid. If you are angry like this _______b__________.
The Fox
:
A kid! _______________c___________________?
Mother
:
Yes, I did warn him not to go out.
The Fox
:
We won’t forgive him. ____________d______________?
Mother
:
I don't know when he will be back.
The Fox
:
Oh! Give this baton to him when he comes.
Mother
:
The more I request him to stay at home __________e_______
The Fox
:
Then let him face the consequences
The Fox
:
Where's your son?
Mother
:
He disobeyed me and went out to the woods.
Hmm. You know what it means to break the laws, ____a___?
The Fox
:
Mother
:
He is a kid. If you are angry like this _______b__________.
The Fox
:
A kid! _______________c___________________?
Mother
:
Yes, I did warn him not to go out.
The Fox
:
We won’t forgive him. ____________d______________?
Mother
:
I don't know when he will be back.
The Fox
:
Oh! Give this baton to him when he comes.
Mother
:
The more I request him to stay at home __________e_______
The Fox
:
Then let him face the consequences
Using Language Elements 7
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Raghu: You hid in the shed for quite a long time, _______a______?
Ravi : Yes, I wanted to be the champion.
Raghu: Any idea, ____________b___________?
Ravi: Almost one hour.
Raghu: The quicker you came out ____________c___________
Ravi : But then I wouldn't win the game.
Raghu: Even now you didn't, _______d______?
Ravi: Yes. I won. But you guys didn't accept it.
Raghu: You behave as if ____________e___________
Ravi : You are also like the others, not accepting defeat.
Raghu: ____________f___________?
Ravi: No, I don't think I have done anything against the rule of the game.
Raghu: You hid in the shed for quite a long time, _______a______?
Ravi : Yes, I wanted to be the champion.
Raghu: Any idea, ____________b___________?
Ravi: Almost one hour.
Raghu: The quicker you came out ____________c___________
Ravi : But then I wouldn't win the game.
Raghu: Even now you didn't, _______d______?
Ravi: Yes. I won. But you guys didn't accept it.
Raghu: You behave as if ____________e___________
Ravi : You are also like the others, not accepting defeat.
Raghu: ____________f___________?
Ravi: No, I don't think I have done anything against the rule of the game.
Using Language Elements 6
Complete the following conversation suitably.
Swami: Arun, my father treats me very rudely.
Arun : Really? Why does he do that?
Swami: My fate, what else? ____________a___________?
Arun: He is also strict. But not rude I should say.
Swami: How can I manage him?
Arun : The more you protest, ____________b___________
Swami: That's true. Your father's a teacher, _______c______?
Arun: Yes. If your father were a teacher ____________d___________
Swami: Who knows?
Arun : ____________e___________?
Swami: Only once in a month I skip classes.
Arun: Be a good boy Swami. Your father will like you very much.
Swami: You preach to me as though ____________f___________
Arun: You deserve your father!
Swami: Arun, my father treats me very rudely.
Arun : Really? Why does he do that?
Swami: My fate, what else? ____________a___________?
Arun: He is also strict. But not rude I should say.
Swami: How can I manage him?
Arun : The more you protest, ____________b___________
Swami: That's true. Your father's a teacher, _______c______?
Arun: Yes. If your father were a teacher ____________d___________
Swami: Who knows?
Arun : ____________e___________?
Swami: Only once in a month I skip classes.
Arun: Be a good boy Swami. Your father will like you very much.
Swami: You preach to me as though ____________f___________
Arun: You deserve your father!
Using Language Elements 5
Look at the sentences given below. They take the same verb but the categories
of words that follow the verb are different.
He has a car. (verb + noun phrase)
He has to fight. (verb + to infinitive)
Write two sentences like the above with the verb 'is'
1. She is _____________________________.
2. She is _____________________________.
of words that follow the verb are different.
He has a car. (verb + noun phrase)
He has to fight. (verb + to infinitive)
Write two sentences like the above with the verb 'is'
1. She is _____________________________.
2. She is _____________________________.
Using Language Elements 5
Edit the following passage.
He listened to the loud noise from the hillside. It occurrs to him that they were
in the battle field. Once he has supposed that fight with the enemy country
would be a thrilling experience. He gaze around him and was astonished to
see the dust and smoke rising like a cloud. The trench in which he hide was so
small that he could hardly breathe. Before he came out of it, all his friends
went to their camps.
He listened to the loud noise from the hillside. It occurrs to him that they were
in the battle field. Once he has supposed that fight with the enemy country
would be a thrilling experience. He gaze around him and was astonished to
see the dust and smoke rising like a cloud. The trench in which he hide was so
small that he could hardly breathe. Before he came out of it, all his friends
went to their camps.
Using Language Elements 4
Here is a passage written by Byju, a student of Standard X. There are some
errors in it. They are given in bold letters. Edit the following passage
.
When his father die (a) in 2000, Rahim is (b) just fifteen years old. Then
his family left Dubai and settled in Kerala. He studied for his higher
secondary in one of the schools in his home town. He later take (c) a
master's degree in English language and literature and became a college
lecturer. He wanted to go back to Dubai where he spend (d) his boyhood
days. He believes that if he did not come (e) back to Kerala he would
have been a great business man. His close friend Abhiram used to tell
him, 'If I were you I will (f) be contented to be a college lecturer'.
errors in it. They are given in bold letters. Edit the following passage
.
When his father die (a) in 2000, Rahim is (b) just fifteen years old. Then
his family left Dubai and settled in Kerala. He studied for his higher
secondary in one of the schools in his home town. He later take (c) a
master's degree in English language and literature and became a college
lecturer. He wanted to go back to Dubai where he spend (d) his boyhood
days. He believes that if he did not come (e) back to Kerala he would
have been a great business man. His close friend Abhiram used to tell
him, 'If I were you I will (f) be contented to be a college lecturer'.
Using Language Elements 3
Imagine that you give instructions to your younger brother on how to perform
a physical exercise. Write four instructions as shown in the example below.
e.g. Stand straight.
a physical exercise. Write four instructions as shown in the example below.
e.g. Stand straight.
Using Language Elements 2
Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the right phrases given in
brackets.
The man I saw on the road had ____a_____ very expensive dress. When asked
he told me he was a tourist and wanted to ____b_____ the museum. He really
struggled to ____c_____ his ideas in English. He ____d_____ explaining his
interest in history but I hardly understood anything.
(go on, call at, put on, put across)
brackets.
The man I saw on the road had ____a_____ very expensive dress. When asked
he told me he was a tourist and wanted to ____b_____ the museum. He really
struggled to ____c_____ his ideas in English. He ____d_____ explaining his
interest in history but I hardly understood anything.
(go on, call at, put on, put across)
Using Language Elements 1
Look at the following sentences.
He bought a new bag.
He bagged his belongings and left the place.
In the first sentence 'bag' is used as a noun whereas in the second it is used as
a verb. Use each of the following words given below in sentences of your own
as a noun and as a verb.
a. water
b.pen
c. pocke
He bought a new bag.
He bagged his belongings and left the place.
In the first sentence 'bag' is used as a noun whereas in the second it is used as
a verb. Use each of the following words given below in sentences of your own
as a noun and as a verb.
a. water
b.pen
c. pocke
Analysing Textual Poems 13
Read the following lines from ‘The Arrow and the Song’ and answer the
questions that follow:
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroken;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
1. Why did the speaker say that he did not know where the song fell?
2. Where did the speaker find the song long afterwards?
3. How was the arrow found in the oak tree?
4. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanza.
questions that follow:
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroken;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
1. Why did the speaker say that he did not know where the song fell?
2. Where did the speaker find the song long afterwards?
3. How was the arrow found in the oak tree?
4. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanza.
Analysing Textual Poems 12
Read the following lines from ‘The Master’ and answer the questions that
follow:
And he installed himself and his brushes amid the dung and the flies,
and studied the horses - their bodies’ keen alertness -
eye-sparkle of one, another’s sensitive stance,
the way a third moved graceful in his bulk -
and painted at last the emperor’s favourite,
the charger named ‘Nightshining White,’
Whose likeness after centuries still dazzles.
1. What act of Han Kan shows that he is a real master?
2. What details of horses did Han Kan study?
3. Why did Han Kan name his horse as ‘Nightshining White’?
4. Pick out the line that suggests the painting will last for years?
follow:
And he installed himself and his brushes amid the dung and the flies,
and studied the horses - their bodies’ keen alertness -
eye-sparkle of one, another’s sensitive stance,
the way a third moved graceful in his bulk -
and painted at last the emperor’s favourite,
the charger named ‘Nightshining White,’
Whose likeness after centuries still dazzles.
1. What act of Han Kan shows that he is a real master?
2. What details of horses did Han Kan study?
3. Why did Han Kan name his horse as ‘Nightshining White’?
4. Pick out the line that suggests the painting will last for years?
Analysing Textual Poems 11
Read the following lines from 'In the Country' and answer the questions
that follow.
Can I admire the statue great,
When living men starve at its feet?
Can I admire the park’s green tree,
A roof for homeless misery?
When I can see few men in need,
I then have power to help by deed,
Nor lose my cheerfulness in pity-
Which I must do in every city.
For when I am in those great places,
I see ten thousand suffering faces;
Before me stares a wolfish eye.
Behind me creeps a groan or sigh.
1. What attitude of the poet is revealed here?
2. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanzas.
3. Pick out the line that conveys the intensity of suffering faces.
4. What does the expression ‘wolfish eye’ signify?
that follow.
Can I admire the statue great,
When living men starve at its feet?
Can I admire the park’s green tree,
A roof for homeless misery?
When I can see few men in need,
I then have power to help by deed,
Nor lose my cheerfulness in pity-
Which I must do in every city.
For when I am in those great places,
I see ten thousand suffering faces;
Before me stares a wolfish eye.
Behind me creeps a groan or sigh.
1. What attitude of the poet is revealed here?
2. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanzas.
3. Pick out the line that conveys the intensity of suffering faces.
4. What does the expression ‘wolfish eye’ signify?
Analysing Textual Poems 10
Read the following lines from 'In the Country' and answer the questions
that follow.
This life is sweetest; in the wood
I hear no children cry for food;
I see no woman, white with care;
No man, with muscles wasting here.
No doubt it is a selfish thing
To fly from human suffering;
No doubt he is a selfish man,
Who shuns poor creatures sad and wan.
But it’s a wretched life to face
Hunger in almost every place;
Cursed with a hand that’s empty, when
The heart is full to help all men.
1. Do you agree with the poet’s view about the life in a town? Why?
2. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanzas.
3. Why do people run away from human sufferings?
4. What does the expression ‘wretched life’ imply?
that follow.
This life is sweetest; in the wood
I hear no children cry for food;
I see no woman, white with care;
No man, with muscles wasting here.
No doubt it is a selfish thing
To fly from human suffering;
No doubt he is a selfish man,
Who shuns poor creatures sad and wan.
But it’s a wretched life to face
Hunger in almost every place;
Cursed with a hand that’s empty, when
The heart is full to help all men.
1. Do you agree with the poet’s view about the life in a town? Why?
2. Write the rhyme scheme followed in the stanzas.
3. Why do people run away from human sufferings?
4. What does the expression ‘wretched life’ imply?
Analysing Textual Poems 9
Read the following lines from 'Cactus' and answer the questions that follow.
One thorn for each rare drop of water.
I don’t tempt butterflies.
No bird sings my praise.
I don’t yield to droughts.
I create another beauty
beyond the moonlight,
this side of dreams,
a sharp, piercing,
parallel language.
1. Who does ‘I’ stand for?
2.
‘I don’t tempt butterflies.
No bird sings my praise. What do these lines signify?
3. Quote the line that suggests ‘Cactus is a tough fighter’.
4. Comment on the expression ‘parallel language’.
One thorn for each rare drop of water.
I don’t tempt butterflies.
No bird sings my praise.
I don’t yield to droughts.
I create another beauty
beyond the moonlight,
this side of dreams,
a sharp, piercing,
parallel language.
1. Who does ‘I’ stand for?
2.
‘I don’t tempt butterflies.
No bird sings my praise. What do these lines signify?
3. Quote the line that suggests ‘Cactus is a tough fighter’.
4. Comment on the expression ‘parallel language’.
Analysing Textual Poems 8
Read the following lines from 'Cactus' and answer the questions that follow.
Thorns are my language.
I announce my existence
with a bleeding touch.
Once these thorns were flowers.
I loathe lovers who betray.
Poets have abandoned the deserts
to go back to the gardens.
Only camels remain here, and merchants
who trample my flowers to dust.
1. How does thorns become the language of cactus?
2. Pick out the line which suggests that ‘Cactus once led a comfortable life’.
3. Who does the cactus represent?
4. Why do you think the poets go back to the gardens?
Thorns are my language.
I announce my existence
with a bleeding touch.
Once these thorns were flowers.
I loathe lovers who betray.
Poets have abandoned the deserts
to go back to the gardens.
Only camels remain here, and merchants
who trample my flowers to dust.
1. How does thorns become the language of cactus?
2. Pick out the line which suggests that ‘Cactus once led a comfortable life’.
3. Who does the cactus represent?
4. Why do you think the poets go back to the gardens?
Analysing Textual Poems 8
Read the following lines from 'Celluloid Heroes' and answer the questions
that follow.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
1. What does the writer want his life to be?
2. Why is the movie world called ‘a fantasy world’?
3. Celluloid Heroes never feel any pain. Do you agree to this statement? Why?
4. What message does the writer convey through the above lin
that follow.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
1. What does the writer want his life to be?
2. Why is the movie world called ‘a fantasy world’?
3. Celluloid Heroes never feel any pain. Do you agree to this statement? Why?
4. What message does the writer convey through the above lin
Analysing Textual Poems 7
Read the following lines from 'Celluloid Heroes' and answer the questions
that follow.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star
And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are.
1. What does the poet mean by 'all the stars'?
2. What could be the sufferings and struggles of the ones who struggled for
fame?
3. Pick out from the stanza the expression other than 'Hollywood boulevard'
that stands for 'movie world'.
4. Which line conveys the idea that 'one's entry into Hollywood is not a sure
way to be successful in life'?
that follow.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star
And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are.
1. What does the poet mean by 'all the stars'?
2. What could be the sufferings and struggles of the ones who struggled for
fame?
3. Pick out from the stanza the expression other than 'Hollywood boulevard'
that stands for 'movie world'.
4. Which line conveys the idea that 'one's entry into Hollywood is not a sure
way to be successful in life'?
Analysing Textual Poems 6
Read the following lines from 'Celluloid Heroes' and answer the questions
that follow.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star,
And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down Hollywood boulevard
Their names are written in concrete!
1. What does the expression 'Everybody is in movies' signify?
2. In what sense is 'Everybody a star'?
3. Which place is referred to in these lines?
4. The line, 'Their names are written in concrete!' can suggest two meanings.
Explain.
that follow.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star,
And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down Hollywood boulevard
Their names are written in concrete!
1. What does the expression 'Everybody is in movies' signify?
2. In what sense is 'Everybody a star'?
3. Which place is referred to in these lines?
4. The line, 'Their names are written in concrete!' can suggest two meanings.
Explain.
Analysing Textual Poems 5
Read the lines from the poem 'The Himalayas' and answer the questions
that follow:
At that time
I am seventeen, and have just started
to wear a sari every day.
Swami Anand is eighty nine
and almost blind.
His thick glasses don't seem to work,
they only magnify his cloudy eyes.
Mornings he summons me
from the kitchen
and I read to him until lunch time.
One day he tells me
'you can read your poems now'.
I read a few, he is silent.
Thinking he's asleep, I stop.
But he says, 'continue.'
I begin a long one
in which the Himalayas rise
as a metaphor.
1. What change can you notice in the speaker on the days referred to in these
lines?
2. What purpose do the glasses serve for Swami Anand?
3. Why did the speaker stop reading her poem?
4. The narrator reads out a poem before Swami Anand. What idea do you get
about her poem?
that follow:
At that time
I am seventeen, and have just started
to wear a sari every day.
Swami Anand is eighty nine
and almost blind.
His thick glasses don't seem to work,
they only magnify his cloudy eyes.
Mornings he summons me
from the kitchen
and I read to him until lunch time.
One day he tells me
'you can read your poems now'.
I read a few, he is silent.
Thinking he's asleep, I stop.
But he says, 'continue.'
I begin a long one
in which the Himalayas rise
as a metaphor.
1. What change can you notice in the speaker on the days referred to in these
lines?
2. What purpose do the glasses serve for Swami Anand?
3. Why did the speaker stop reading her poem?
4. The narrator reads out a poem before Swami Anand. What idea do you get
about her poem?
Analysing Textual Poems 4
Read the lines from the poem 'Once Upon a Time' and answer the questions
that follow:
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!
1. What does the poet want to be? Pick out expressions from the lines above to
justify your answer.
2. Why are they called 'muting things'?
3. What does the poet want to unlearn and relearn?
4. What confession does the poet make when he says 'my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!' ?
that follow:
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!
1. What does the poet want to be? Pick out expressions from the lines above to
justify your answer.
2. Why are they called 'muting things'?
3. What does the poet want to unlearn and relearn?
4. What confession does the poet make when he says 'my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!' ?
Analysing Textual Poems 3
Read the lines from the poem 'Once Upon a Time' and answer the questions
that follow:
Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes;
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.
1. What does the expression 'Once Upon a Time' imply?
2. Comment on the expression, ' but now they only laugh with their teeth’.
3. The poet talks about 'their hearts', 'their teeth', 'and their ice-block-cold eyes'.
Who are referred to here?
4. Pick out the expressions the poet uses to contrast the past with the present.
that follow:
Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes;
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.
1. What does the expression 'Once Upon a Time' imply?
2. Comment on the expression, ' but now they only laugh with their teeth’.
3. The poet talks about 'their hearts', 'their teeth', 'and their ice-block-cold eyes'.
Who are referred to here?
4. Pick out the expressions the poet uses to contrast the past with the present.
Analysing Textual Poems 2
Read the lines from the poem 'Night of the Scorpion' and answer the
questions that follow:
I remember the night my mother
was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours
of steady rain had driven him
to crawl beneath a sack of rice.
Parting with his poison - flash
of diabolic tail in the dark room -
he risked the rain again.
The peasants came like swarms of flies
and buzzed the name of God a hundred times
to paralyse the Evil One.
With candles and with lanterns
throwing giant scorpion shadows
on the mud-baked walls
they searched for him: he was not found
1. Who are the different persons referred to in these lines?
2. Cite an instance of simile from the lines.
3. What expression does the poet use to suggest that the scorpion has left the
place after stinging the mother?
4. How does the poet portray a tiny creature like scorpion as something big
and gigantic?
questions that follow:
I remember the night my mother
was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours
of steady rain had driven him
to crawl beneath a sack of rice.
Parting with his poison - flash
of diabolic tail in the dark room -
he risked the rain again.
The peasants came like swarms of flies
and buzzed the name of God a hundred times
to paralyse the Evil One.
With candles and with lanterns
throwing giant scorpion shadows
on the mud-baked walls
they searched for him: he was not found
1. Who are the different persons referred to in these lines?
2. Cite an instance of simile from the lines.
3. What expression does the poet use to suggest that the scorpion has left the
place after stinging the mother?
4. How does the poet portray a tiny creature like scorpion as something big
and gigantic?
Analysing Textual Poems 1
Read the lines from the poem 'Night of the Scorpion' and answer the
questions that follow:
May your suffering decrease
the misfortunes of your next birth, they said.
May the sum of all evil
balanced in this unreal world
against the sum of good
become diminished by your pain.
May the poison purify your flesh
of desire, and your spirit of ambition,
they said, and they sat around
on the floor with my mother in the centre,
the peace of understanding on each face.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
1. Who are the 'they' referred to in the lines?
2. What effect does the poison have on mother according to the folk assembled
there?
3. What does 'the peace of understanding on each face' suggest?
4. Cite an instance of alliteration from the lines.
5. Pick out the line that hints 'despite the prayers of the peasants the pain of the
mother persisted'.
questions that follow:
May your suffering decrease
the misfortunes of your next birth, they said.
May the sum of all evil
balanced in this unreal world
against the sum of good
become diminished by your pain.
May the poison purify your flesh
of desire, and your spirit of ambition,
they said, and they sat around
on the floor with my mother in the centre,
the peace of understanding on each face.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
1. Who are the 'they' referred to in the lines?
2. What effect does the poison have on mother according to the folk assembled
there?
3. What does 'the peace of understanding on each face' suggest?
4. Cite an instance of alliteration from the lines.
5. Pick out the line that hints 'despite the prayers of the peasants the pain of the
mother persisted'.
Analysing Textual Passages 16
Read the following passage from the speech, ‘Art that Heals’ and answer
the questions that follow:
One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, was that society would not properly
value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades
in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a
doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than
I would be as a musician. On some level, I think, my parents were not sure
themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they
loved music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t
really clear about its function. We live in a society that puts music in the ‘arts
and entertainment’ section of the newspaper. Serious music, the kind your
kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with
entertainment. In fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit
about music, and how it works.
1. Who is the ‘I’ referred to in the passage above?
2. What was the fear that his parents had?
3. Pick out a sentence from the passage that suggests that Karl was very
studious.
4. Did Karl’s parents love music? Find out the expression from the passage
that supports your view.
5. Find the word from the passage that means ‘to recognize the good qualities
of somebody’.
6. What is the attitude of the society towards music?
the questions that follow:
One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, was that society would not properly
value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades
in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a
doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than
I would be as a musician. On some level, I think, my parents were not sure
themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they
loved music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t
really clear about its function. We live in a society that puts music in the ‘arts
and entertainment’ section of the newspaper. Serious music, the kind your
kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with
entertainment. In fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit
about music, and how it works.
1. Who is the ‘I’ referred to in the passage above?
2. What was the fear that his parents had?
3. Pick out a sentence from the passage that suggests that Karl was very
studious.
4. Did Karl’s parents love music? Find out the expression from the passage
that supports your view.
5. Find the word from the passage that means ‘to recognize the good qualities
of somebody’.
6. What is the attitude of the society towards music?
Analysing Textual Passages 15
Read the following passage from the story, ‘Balthazar’s Marvellous
Afternoon’ and answer the questions that follow:
The cage was finished. Balthazar hung it under the eaves, from force of habit,
and when he finished lunch everyone was already saying that it was the most
beautiful cage in the world. So many people came to see it that a crowd formed
in front of the house and Balthazar had to take it down and close the shop.
‘You have to shave,’ Ursula, his wife, told him. ‘You look like a capuchin.’
‘It’s bad to shave in the afternoon.’
He had two weeks growth, short, hard, and bristly hair like the mane of a
mule and the general expression of a frightened boy. He did not know that
for some people the cage he had just made was the most beautiful one in the
world. For him, accustomed to making cages since childhood, it had been
hardly any more difficult than the others.
‘Rest for a while then,’ Ursula said to him.
1. Why did Ursula describe Balthazar as a capuchin?
2. Why did Balthazar hang the cage under the eaves?
3. Why didn’t Balthazar have the same feelings of others about the beauty of
the cage?
4. What reason did Balthazar say for not accepting Ursula’s suggestion to shave?
5. Look at the sentence: Maya is used to getting up early. Substitute the
underlined phrase with a suitable word/phrase from the passage.
6. Read the following sentence.
The cage was finished.
Begin the sentence with – Balthazar ....
Afternoon’ and answer the questions that follow:
The cage was finished. Balthazar hung it under the eaves, from force of habit,
and when he finished lunch everyone was already saying that it was the most
beautiful cage in the world. So many people came to see it that a crowd formed
in front of the house and Balthazar had to take it down and close the shop.
‘You have to shave,’ Ursula, his wife, told him. ‘You look like a capuchin.’
‘It’s bad to shave in the afternoon.’
He had two weeks growth, short, hard, and bristly hair like the mane of a
mule and the general expression of a frightened boy. He did not know that
for some people the cage he had just made was the most beautiful one in the
world. For him, accustomed to making cages since childhood, it had been
hardly any more difficult than the others.
‘Rest for a while then,’ Ursula said to him.
1. Why did Ursula describe Balthazar as a capuchin?
2. Why did Balthazar hang the cage under the eaves?
3. Why didn’t Balthazar have the same feelings of others about the beauty of
the cage?
4. What reason did Balthazar say for not accepting Ursula’s suggestion to shave?
5. Look at the sentence: Maya is used to getting up early. Substitute the
underlined phrase with a suitable word/phrase from the passage.
6. Read the following sentence.
The cage was finished.
Begin the sentence with – Balthazar ....
Analysing Textual Passages 14
Read the following passage from the story ‘The Bet’ and answer the questions
that follow.
At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless. He was a
skeleton with the skin drawn tight over his bones, with long curls like a woman’s
and a shaggy beard. His face was yellow with an earthy tint in it, his cheeks
were hollow, his back long and narrow and the hand on which his shaggy
head was propped was so thin and delicate that it was dreadful to look at it.
His hair was already streaked with silver and seeing his emaciated, aged-
looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty. He was
asleep.... In front of his bowed head there lay on the table a sheet of paper on
which there was something written in fine handwriting.
‘Poor creature!’ thought the banker, ‘he is asleep and most likely dreaming of
the millions. And I have only to take this half-dead man, throw him on the
bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert would
find no sign of a violent death. But let us first read what he has written here...’
1. Why was the man described as ‘unlike ordinary people’?
2. What impressions do you get while looking at the man?
3. Who could be the ‘most conscientious expert’ that the banker had in his
mind?
4. Why did the banker think that taking the man’s life was quite simple?
5. Look at the following sentence from the passage.
‘At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless.’
Here ‘at the table’ is used before the subject ‘a man’. Pick out one such sentence
from the passage.
that follow.
At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless. He was a
skeleton with the skin drawn tight over his bones, with long curls like a woman’s
and a shaggy beard. His face was yellow with an earthy tint in it, his cheeks
were hollow, his back long and narrow and the hand on which his shaggy
head was propped was so thin and delicate that it was dreadful to look at it.
His hair was already streaked with silver and seeing his emaciated, aged-
looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty. He was
asleep.... In front of his bowed head there lay on the table a sheet of paper on
which there was something written in fine handwriting.
‘Poor creature!’ thought the banker, ‘he is asleep and most likely dreaming of
the millions. And I have only to take this half-dead man, throw him on the
bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert would
find no sign of a violent death. But let us first read what he has written here...’
1. Why was the man described as ‘unlike ordinary people’?
2. What impressions do you get while looking at the man?
3. Who could be the ‘most conscientious expert’ that the banker had in his
mind?
4. Why did the banker think that taking the man’s life was quite simple?
5. Look at the following sentence from the passage.
‘At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless.’
Here ‘at the table’ is used before the subject ‘a man’. Pick out one such sentence
from the passage.
Analysing Textual Passages 13
Read the following passage from the story ‘The Bet’ and answer the questions
that follow.
It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was walking up and down his
study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one
autumn evening. There had been many clever men there and many interesting
conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment.
The majority of the guests, among whom were many journalists and intellectual
men, disapproved of death penalty. They considered that form of punishment
out of date, immoral and unsuitable for Christian states. In the opinion of
some of them, death penalty ought to be replaced everywhere by imprisonment
for life.
1. What was the weather like?
2. What was the major issue discussed by the banker and his friends?
3. Why did some of them disapprove death penalty?
4. The word 'immoral is derived from the word 'moral' by adding the prefix
'im' to it. Pick out two such words that are formed by adding prefixes other
than 'im' from the passage.
that follow.
It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was walking up and down his
study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one
autumn evening. There had been many clever men there and many interesting
conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment.
The majority of the guests, among whom were many journalists and intellectual
men, disapproved of death penalty. They considered that form of punishment
out of date, immoral and unsuitable for Christian states. In the opinion of
some of them, death penalty ought to be replaced everywhere by imprisonment
for life.
1. What was the weather like?
2. What was the major issue discussed by the banker and his friends?
3. Why did some of them disapprove death penalty?
4. The word 'immoral is derived from the word 'moral' by adding the prefix
'im' to it. Pick out two such words that are formed by adding prefixes other
than 'im' from the passage.
Analysing Textual Passages 12
Read the following passage from the story ‘The Bet’ and answer the questions
that follow.
The old banker remembered all this and thought:
‘Tomorrow at twelve o’clock he will regain his freedom. By our agreement I
ought to pay him two millions. If I do pay him, it is all over with me: I shall be
utterly ruined.’
Fifteen years before, his millions had been beyond his reckoning; now he
was afraid to ask himself which were greater, his debts or his assets. ‘Cursed
bet!’ muttered the old man, clutching his head in despair, ‘Why didn’t the
man die? He is only forty now. He will take my last penny from me, he will
marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the Exchange; while I shall look at him
with envy like a beggar, and hear from him every day the same sentence: ‘I
am indebted to you for the happiness of my life, let me help you!’ No, it is
too much! The one means of being saved from bankruptcy and disgrace is
the death of that man!’
1. ‘I am indebted to you for the happiness of my life’. Who are the ‘I’ and the
‘you’ referred to in this sentence.
2. Greed for money leads men to cruelty. What cruel deed does the banker
think about?
3. ‘Cursed bet!’ Why does the banker consider the bet a curse?
4. Pick out an expression that suggests the state of mind of the banker.
5. Find out a word from the passage that means ‘not having enough money
to pay one’s debts’
that follow.
The old banker remembered all this and thought:
‘Tomorrow at twelve o’clock he will regain his freedom. By our agreement I
ought to pay him two millions. If I do pay him, it is all over with me: I shall be
utterly ruined.’
Fifteen years before, his millions had been beyond his reckoning; now he
was afraid to ask himself which were greater, his debts or his assets. ‘Cursed
bet!’ muttered the old man, clutching his head in despair, ‘Why didn’t the
man die? He is only forty now. He will take my last penny from me, he will
marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the Exchange; while I shall look at him
with envy like a beggar, and hear from him every day the same sentence: ‘I
am indebted to you for the happiness of my life, let me help you!’ No, it is
too much! The one means of being saved from bankruptcy and disgrace is
the death of that man!’
1. ‘I am indebted to you for the happiness of my life’. Who are the ‘I’ and the
‘you’ referred to in this sentence.
2. Greed for money leads men to cruelty. What cruel deed does the banker
think about?
3. ‘Cursed bet!’ Why does the banker consider the bet a curse?
4. Pick out an expression that suggests the state of mind of the banker.
5. Find out a word from the passage that means ‘not having enough money
to pay one’s debts’
Analysing Textual Passages 11
Read the following passage from 'The Beggar and the King' and answer the
questions that follow.
THE KING: Send the beggar here.
THE SERVANT: O King!
THE KING: Ha! I rather fancy the fellow will stop his noise when the king
commands him to. Ha, ha, ha!
THE SERVANT: O King, thou wilt not have a beggar brought into thy royal
chamber!
THE KING: (pleased with his idea) Yea. Go outside and tell this fellow that the
king desires his presence.
THE SERVANT: O great and illustrious king, thou wilt surely not do this thing.
Thou wilt surely not soil thy royal eyes by looking on such a filthy creature.
Thou wilt surely not contaminate thy lips by speaking to a common beggar
who cries aloud in the streets for bread.
THE KING: My ears have been soiled too much already. Therefore go now
and do as I have commanded thee.
THE SERVANT: O great and illustrious king, thou wilt surely not--
THE KING: (roaring at him) I said, Go! (The Servant, abashed, goes out.)
Forsooth, I fancy the fellow will stop his bawling when I order him to. Forsooth,
I fancy he will be pretty well frightened when he hears that the king desires
his presence. Ha, ha, ha, ha!
1. What does the king fancy the beggar would do?
2. What suggestion by the servant pleases the king?
3. How, according to the servant, would the king's eyes and lips be affected if
the beggar was brought into the palace?
4. What reason does the king finally give for bringing the beggar to the palace?
5. Look at the sentence: 'My ears have been soiled too much by the beggar.'
Now, begin the sentence with 'The beggar . . . . . .
questions that follow.
THE KING: Send the beggar here.
THE SERVANT: O King!
THE KING: Ha! I rather fancy the fellow will stop his noise when the king
commands him to. Ha, ha, ha!
THE SERVANT: O King, thou wilt not have a beggar brought into thy royal
chamber!
THE KING: (pleased with his idea) Yea. Go outside and tell this fellow that the
king desires his presence.
THE SERVANT: O great and illustrious king, thou wilt surely not do this thing.
Thou wilt surely not soil thy royal eyes by looking on such a filthy creature.
Thou wilt surely not contaminate thy lips by speaking to a common beggar
who cries aloud in the streets for bread.
THE KING: My ears have been soiled too much already. Therefore go now
and do as I have commanded thee.
THE SERVANT: O great and illustrious king, thou wilt surely not--
THE KING: (roaring at him) I said, Go! (The Servant, abashed, goes out.)
Forsooth, I fancy the fellow will stop his bawling when I order him to. Forsooth,
I fancy he will be pretty well frightened when he hears that the king desires
his presence. Ha, ha, ha, ha!
1. What does the king fancy the beggar would do?
2. What suggestion by the servant pleases the king?
3. How, according to the servant, would the king's eyes and lips be affected if
the beggar was brought into the palace?
4. What reason does the king finally give for bringing the beggar to the palace?
5. Look at the sentence: 'My ears have been soiled too much by the beggar.'
Now, begin the sentence with 'The beggar . . . . . .
Analysing Textual Passages 10
Read the following passage from 'Sunshine through the Rain' and answer
the questions that follow.
The boy's house.
As he walks up to the house, he finds Mother standing under the eaves of the gatehouse.
Mother: You watched something you shouldn't have. I can't let you in. An
angry fox came looking for you. He left this for you.
Mother hands the boy a baton. The boy turns it in his hands and finds it is a sheath
that encloses a dagger. The boy draws out the dagger and then puts it back into the
sheath.
Mother: You are supposed to kill yourself. Go quickly and ask their forgiveness.
Give the knife back and tell them how sorry you are.
Mother turns, walks to the front door, half closes the door and turns.
Mother: They don't usually forgive. You must be ready to die. Get going. Unless
they forgive you, I can't let you in.
Boy: But I don't know where they live.
Mother: You'll find out. On a day like this, there are always rainbows. Foxes
live under rainbows.
The Mother closes the door on the boy's face.
1. What advice does the mother give the boy to save him from the foxes’ anger?
2. Do you think the mother is being cruel to the boy? Justify your answer.
3. 'On a day like this, there are always rainbows.' What is the speciality of the
day referred to here?
4. Pick out any two sentences from the above passage that are commands or
directions
the questions that follow.
The boy's house.
As he walks up to the house, he finds Mother standing under the eaves of the gatehouse.
Mother: You watched something you shouldn't have. I can't let you in. An
angry fox came looking for you. He left this for you.
Mother hands the boy a baton. The boy turns it in his hands and finds it is a sheath
that encloses a dagger. The boy draws out the dagger and then puts it back into the
sheath.
Mother: You are supposed to kill yourself. Go quickly and ask their forgiveness.
Give the knife back and tell them how sorry you are.
Mother turns, walks to the front door, half closes the door and turns.
Mother: They don't usually forgive. You must be ready to die. Get going. Unless
they forgive you, I can't let you in.
Boy: But I don't know where they live.
Mother: You'll find out. On a day like this, there are always rainbows. Foxes
live under rainbows.
The Mother closes the door on the boy's face.
1. What advice does the mother give the boy to save him from the foxes’ anger?
2. Do you think the mother is being cruel to the boy? Justify your answer.
3. 'On a day like this, there are always rainbows.' What is the speciality of the
day referred to here?
4. Pick out any two sentences from the above passage that are commands or
directions
Analysing Textual Passages 9
Read the following passage from 'Sunshine through the Rain' and answer
the questions that follow.
A forest. Tall trees are clearly visible through a thin mist. The trees and the thin
undergrowth of grass are lit up by bright sunshine that falls in beams through the
gaps in the canopies of the trees. The boy appears. He walks up and faces the camera.
He wanders among the trees, his eyes roving. He stops on seeing clouds of mist rising
from the ground a little away. As the boy watches intently, shapes emerge from the
mist. It is a fox's wedding.
A procession led by the groom and the bride with others in tow is on its way. The boy
watches, hidden from behind a tree. There is music in the background. The procession
moves on with gentle, trotting steps.
The procession reaches the tree behind which the boy is hiding. They suddenly stop,
turn and look in the boy's direction. Frightened, the boy runs away.
1. Why does the light appear to fall in beams?
2. Why does the boy watch the procession from behind a tree?
3. What are the 'shapes' that appear before the boy?
4. Pick out from the passage a word that means, 'uppermost branches of trees
forming a layer of leaves'.
5. Why is the boy frightened?
6. Identify any two visual images that give a dream-like quality to the scene.
the questions that follow.
A forest. Tall trees are clearly visible through a thin mist. The trees and the thin
undergrowth of grass are lit up by bright sunshine that falls in beams through the
gaps in the canopies of the trees. The boy appears. He walks up and faces the camera.
He wanders among the trees, his eyes roving. He stops on seeing clouds of mist rising
from the ground a little away. As the boy watches intently, shapes emerge from the
mist. It is a fox's wedding.
A procession led by the groom and the bride with others in tow is on its way. The boy
watches, hidden from behind a tree. There is music in the background. The procession
moves on with gentle, trotting steps.
The procession reaches the tree behind which the boy is hiding. They suddenly stop,
turn and look in the boy's direction. Frightened, the boy runs away.
1. Why does the light appear to fall in beams?
2. Why does the boy watch the procession from behind a tree?
3. What are the 'shapes' that appear before the boy?
4. Pick out from the passage a word that means, 'uppermost branches of trees
forming a layer of leaves'.
5. Why is the boy frightened?
6. Identify any two visual images that give a dream-like quality to the scene.
Analysing Textual Passages 8
Read the following passage from ‘Tea-shops in Malayalam Cinema’ and
answer the questions that follow.
The tea-shop represents a time and space free from the drudgery of work, and
therefore teems with a wide cross-section of society. Along with genial villagers,
one also finds local toughs, political workers and, of course, a host of strangers
at the tea-shop. The sheer variety of the customers and the possible activities -
reading newspapers, exchanging local news, discussing politics, gossiping or
just chatting - makes the tea-shop an ideal place to reveal the ‘messages’ and
concerns of the film. In every film which depicts the conflict between the
individual/family and society, the tea-shop, one can say, is a prominent
character.
1. Why is ‘tea-shop’ a favourite space for many customers?
2. What purpose do tea-shop scenes serve in films?
3. The variety of food served in a local tea-shop is very limited. But it offers
other two varieties. What are they?
4. Cite an instance each from the passage in which the linking word ‘and’
connects two noun phrases.
5. Find out from the passage the word which is opposite in meaning to ‘conceal’.
answer the questions that follow.
The tea-shop represents a time and space free from the drudgery of work, and
therefore teems with a wide cross-section of society. Along with genial villagers,
one also finds local toughs, political workers and, of course, a host of strangers
at the tea-shop. The sheer variety of the customers and the possible activities -
reading newspapers, exchanging local news, discussing politics, gossiping or
just chatting - makes the tea-shop an ideal place to reveal the ‘messages’ and
concerns of the film. In every film which depicts the conflict between the
individual/family and society, the tea-shop, one can say, is a prominent
character.
1. Why is ‘tea-shop’ a favourite space for many customers?
2. What purpose do tea-shop scenes serve in films?
3. The variety of food served in a local tea-shop is very limited. But it offers
other two varieties. What are they?
4. Cite an instance each from the passage in which the linking word ‘and’
connects two noun phrases.
5. Find out from the passage the word which is opposite in meaning to ‘conceal’.
Analysing Textual Passages 7
Read the following passage from ‘Tea-shops in Malayalam Cinema’ and
answer the questions that follow.
The small wayside restaurants located mostly in villages and popularly known
as ‘tea-shops’, played a crucial role in making panthibhojanam a way of life in
Kerala. The tea-shops were the products of two important social changes that
were taking place at the time. One was the increasing freedom of movement in
public spaces acquired by the depressed sections of society. The other was the
emergence of an economy based on money. The tea-shop came into existence
at a time when wages began to be paid in cash, rather than in kind. It was also
the time when people were beginning to travel beyond the boundaries of their
villages to sell what they produced in their fields or small workshops.
1. In what ways do ‘tea-shops’ play a crucial role in Kerala’s social life?
2. When, according to the author, did tea-shops become a common thing in
Kerala?
3. Look at the sentence, ‘One was the increasing freedom of movement in public
spaces acquired by the depressed sections of society.’ In the sentence ‘one’
is used instead of a noun phrase. Write the noun phrase that can replace
‘one’ in the sentence.
4. How were wages paid in the past? Cite an example for such a payment
system.
5. What picture of the social life of Kerala in those days do you get from the
passage
answer the questions that follow.
The small wayside restaurants located mostly in villages and popularly known
as ‘tea-shops’, played a crucial role in making panthibhojanam a way of life in
Kerala. The tea-shops were the products of two important social changes that
were taking place at the time. One was the increasing freedom of movement in
public spaces acquired by the depressed sections of society. The other was the
emergence of an economy based on money. The tea-shop came into existence
at a time when wages began to be paid in cash, rather than in kind. It was also
the time when people were beginning to travel beyond the boundaries of their
villages to sell what they produced in their fields or small workshops.
1. In what ways do ‘tea-shops’ play a crucial role in Kerala’s social life?
2. When, according to the author, did tea-shops become a common thing in
Kerala?
3. Look at the sentence, ‘One was the increasing freedom of movement in public
spaces acquired by the depressed sections of society.’ In the sentence ‘one’
is used instead of a noun phrase. Write the noun phrase that can replace
‘one’ in the sentence.
4. How were wages paid in the past? Cite an example for such a payment
system.
5. What picture of the social life of Kerala in those days do you get from the
passage
Analysing Textual Passages 6
Read the following passage from ‘Tea-shops in Malayalam Cinema’ and
answer the questions that follow.
A customer at a tea-shop was regarded as simply an individual, not as a member
of particular caste or community. These individuals were also, in a sense, self-
exiled from their families. Persons who were considered worthless or
insignificant in their families often achieved a certain dignity at a tea-shop. In
serving as a space for free interaction of individuals who come from diverse
social backgrounds, a tea-shop is no different from a cinema theatre. The
atmosphere of a tea-shop often becomes tastier than the tea and snacks served!
It is, therefore, not surprising that tea-shops played and continue to play, a
significant role in energising the narrative of many Malayalam films.
1. What does the expression ‘simply an individual’ imply?
2. Why is the tea-shop a favourite hang-out for some people?
3. How, according to the author, does the tea-shop energise the narrative of
many Malayalam films?
4. What sort of people are considered ‘worthless and insignificant’ in their
families?
5. How, according to the author is ‘a tea-shop no different from a theatre’?
answer the questions that follow.
A customer at a tea-shop was regarded as simply an individual, not as a member
of particular caste or community. These individuals were also, in a sense, self-
exiled from their families. Persons who were considered worthless or
insignificant in their families often achieved a certain dignity at a tea-shop. In
serving as a space for free interaction of individuals who come from diverse
social backgrounds, a tea-shop is no different from a cinema theatre. The
atmosphere of a tea-shop often becomes tastier than the tea and snacks served!
It is, therefore, not surprising that tea-shops played and continue to play, a
significant role in energising the narrative of many Malayalam films.
1. What does the expression ‘simply an individual’ imply?
2. Why is the tea-shop a favourite hang-out for some people?
3. How, according to the author, does the tea-shop energise the narrative of
many Malayalam films?
4. What sort of people are considered ‘worthless and insignificant’ in their
families?
5. How, according to the author is ‘a tea-shop no different from a theatre’?
Analysing Textual Passages 5
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
I shrugged my shoulders, mumbled, 'I'll be right back,' and went out into the
darkness. At first I couldn't see anything at all. I groped my way along the
stone-paved street. I lit a cigarette. Suddenly the moon came out from behind
a black cloud, lighting up a weather-beaten white wall. I stopped in my tracks,
blinded by that whiteness. A faint breeze stirred the air and I could smell the
fragrance of the tamarind trees. The night was murmurous with the sounds of
leaves and insects. The crickets had bivouacked among the tall weeds. I raised
my eyes: up there the stars were also camping out. I thought that the whole
universe was a grand system of signals, a conversation among enormous beings.
My own actions, the creak of a cricket, the blinking of a star, were merely
pauses and syllables, odd fragments of that dialogue. I was only one syllable,
of only one word.
1. Who are engaged in the dialogue referred to in the passage?
2. 'I was only one syllable, of only one word.' What does it signify?
3. What quality of the night is felt quite striking for the narrator?
4. Classify the following group of words into two heads as shown below.
the moon, came out from behind, a faint breeze,
my own actions, raised my eyes, shrugged my shoulder
the moon
came out from behind
I shrugged my shoulders, mumbled, 'I'll be right back,' and went out into the
darkness. At first I couldn't see anything at all. I groped my way along the
stone-paved street. I lit a cigarette. Suddenly the moon came out from behind
a black cloud, lighting up a weather-beaten white wall. I stopped in my tracks,
blinded by that whiteness. A faint breeze stirred the air and I could smell the
fragrance of the tamarind trees. The night was murmurous with the sounds of
leaves and insects. The crickets had bivouacked among the tall weeds. I raised
my eyes: up there the stars were also camping out. I thought that the whole
universe was a grand system of signals, a conversation among enormous beings.
My own actions, the creak of a cricket, the blinking of a star, were merely
pauses and syllables, odd fragments of that dialogue. I was only one syllable,
of only one word.
1. Who are engaged in the dialogue referred to in the passage?
2. 'I was only one syllable, of only one word.' What does it signify?
3. What quality of the night is felt quite striking for the narrator?
4. Classify the following group of words into two heads as shown below.
the moon, came out from behind, a faint breeze,
my own actions, raised my eyes, shrugged my shoulder
the moon
came out from behind
Analysing Textual Passages 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
'My eyes? What are you going to do with my eyes? Look, I've got a little money
on me. Not much, but it's something. I'll give you everything I've got if you'll
let me go. Don't kill me.' 'You shouldn't be scared, senor. I'm not going to kill
you. I just want your eyes.' 'But what do you want them for?' 'It's my
sweetheart's idea. She'd like to have a bouquet of blue eyes. There aren't many
people around here that have them.' 'Mine won't do you any good. They aren't
blue, they're light brown.'
1. Why did the stranger try to pluck the narrator's eyes?
2. What offer did the narrator make to save himself from the man?
3. Complete the following sentence suitably
If the man let the narrator go, he ___________________________
4. Do you think that the stranger's sweetheart really asked for a bouquet of
blue eyes? Why
'My eyes? What are you going to do with my eyes? Look, I've got a little money
on me. Not much, but it's something. I'll give you everything I've got if you'll
let me go. Don't kill me.' 'You shouldn't be scared, senor. I'm not going to kill
you. I just want your eyes.' 'But what do you want them for?' 'It's my
sweetheart's idea. She'd like to have a bouquet of blue eyes. There aren't many
people around here that have them.' 'Mine won't do you any good. They aren't
blue, they're light brown.'
1. Why did the stranger try to pluck the narrator's eyes?
2. What offer did the narrator make to save himself from the man?
3. Complete the following sentence suitably
If the man let the narrator go, he ___________________________
4. Do you think that the stranger's sweetheart really asked for a bouquet of
blue eyes? Why
Analysing Textual Passages 3
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
Ravi sat back on the harsh edge of the tub, deciding to hold out a bit longer.
What fun if they were all found and caught - he alone left unconquered! He
had never known that sensation. Nothing more wonderful had ever happened
to him than being taken out by an uncle and bought a whole slab of chocolate
all to himself. There he sat smiling, knocking his heels against the bathtub,
now and then getting up and going to the door to put his ear to the broad crack
and listening for sounds of the game, the pursuer and the pursued and then
returning to his seat with the dogged determination of the true winner, a breaker
of records, a champion.
1. What, according to Ravi, is the greatest fun of hiding in the desolate shed?
2. What present does Ravi dream of being gifted with when he becomes the
champion?
3. Who are the pursuer and the pursued referred to in the passage?
4. Which expression in the passage is suggestive of Ravi's strong decision to
win the game?
5. How does Ravi express his happiness though impatiently waiting in the
shed?
Ravi sat back on the harsh edge of the tub, deciding to hold out a bit longer.
What fun if they were all found and caught - he alone left unconquered! He
had never known that sensation. Nothing more wonderful had ever happened
to him than being taken out by an uncle and bought a whole slab of chocolate
all to himself. There he sat smiling, knocking his heels against the bathtub,
now and then getting up and going to the door to put his ear to the broad crack
and listening for sounds of the game, the pursuer and the pursued and then
returning to his seat with the dogged determination of the true winner, a breaker
of records, a champion.
1. What, according to Ravi, is the greatest fun of hiding in the desolate shed?
2. What present does Ravi dream of being gifted with when he becomes the
champion?
3. Who are the pursuer and the pursued referred to in the passage?
4. Which expression in the passage is suggestive of Ravi's strong decision to
win the game?
5. How does Ravi express his happiness though impatiently waiting in the
shed?
Analysing Textual Passages 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
As he approached the yellow building he realised that he was perjuring himself
and was ruining his teacher. Probably the headmaster would dismiss Samuel
and then the police would chain him and put him in jail. For all this disgrace,
humiliation and suffering, who would be responsible? Swami shuddered. The
more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him...
1. 'Swami realised that he was perjuring himself and was ruining his teacher.'
What does this statement suggest about the nature of Swami?
2. Pick out an expression which means 'to shake because you are frightened'
from the extract.
3. What, Swami fears, will be the consequences of delivering the letter to the
headmaster?
4. Look at the expression:
The more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him.
Complete the following suitably.
a. The more he thought of his father, __________________
b. The weaker Swami became, _________________
As he approached the yellow building he realised that he was perjuring himself
and was ruining his teacher. Probably the headmaster would dismiss Samuel
and then the police would chain him and put him in jail. For all this disgrace,
humiliation and suffering, who would be responsible? Swami shuddered. The
more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him...
1. 'Swami realised that he was perjuring himself and was ruining his teacher.'
What does this statement suggest about the nature of Swami?
2. Pick out an expression which means 'to shake because you are frightened'
from the extract.
3. What, Swami fears, will be the consequences of delivering the letter to the
headmaster?
4. Look at the expression:
The more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him.
Complete the following suitably.
a. The more he thought of his father, __________________
b. The weaker Swami became, _________________
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